Tennessee halts executions after woman survives lethal injection
In short
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended executions in the state at least until the end of the year, after Krista Pike survived a lethal injection on 1 October despite receiving a double dose of the drug. Lee said he was “deeply shocked” by the error and ordered an independent investigation; Pike, 50, remains in critical condition, her lawyer said. The head of the state prison system, Frank Strada, will resign, the governor announced.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered all executions in the state suspended at least until the end of the year after the failed execution of Krista Pike, Kommersant and Vedomosti reported, citing Associated Press. According to the reports, Pike received a double dose of the lethal drug on 1 October but survived and was taken from the prison by ambulance in critical condition. [ 1 , 3 ]
Lee said he was “deeply shocked” by the error and called what happened a tragedy, the two outlets reported. He ordered an independent investigation and said he had discussed the situation with Frank Strada, secretary of the Tennessee Department of Correction, but had no updated information about Pike's condition. [ 1 , 3 ]
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer, and would have become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. The New York Times, cited by Vedomosti, wrote that she was the only one of those involved to be sentenced to death; Kommersant reported that Lee denied her clemency petition on 28 September, after which a court delayed the execution and the US Supreme Court overturned that decision. Vedomosti, citing AP, said a US federal court suspended the execution on 30 September hours before it was due and the Supreme Court reversed the ruling hours later — the two accounts differ on the court and the date. [ 1 , 3 ]
Vedomosti, citing CNN, reported that Pike remained alive after two doses of the drug, that lawyers said she was alive and snoring loudly after the injection attempt, and that a death penalty expert called the incident an unprecedented failure. Kommersant said the defence named “difficulties with vein access” as one cause and noted that botched executions in other states have led to lawsuits and moratoriums. Pike does not deny her guilt, Vedomosti reported; her defence argues the death penalty is disproportionate, citing her age at the time of the crime, violence she experienced as a child and later diagnoses of bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder, while the victim's mother supports carrying out the sentence. [ 1 , 3 ]
On 3 and 4 October, Vedomosti and Kommersant reported that the head of Tennessee's prison system would resign; Kommersant, citing AP, said Governor Lee announced the resignation of Frank Strada. TASS reported on 4 October that Pike's lawyer, Stephen Farella, said her condition remained critical. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The suspension and the resignation of the state's prison chief leave Tennessee's execution procedures under an independent investigation, and Kommersant noted that botched executions elsewhere have led to lawsuits and moratoriums. Pike's medical state and the cause of the failure remain unresolved. The case also returns attention to the sentence itself, which her defence calls disproportionate while the victim's mother supports carrying it out.
Key facts
- Governor Bill Lee ordered all executions in Tennessee suspended at least until the end of the year. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Krista Pike received a double dose of the lethal drug on 1 October but survived and was hospitalised in critical condition. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Lee said he was “deeply shocked” by the error, called it a tragedy and ordered an independent investigation. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Pike, 50, was sentenced to death over the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer and would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Pike's lawyer, Stephen Farella, said her condition remained critical, TASS reported. [ 6 ]
- Frank Strada, who heads the Tennessee prison system, will resign, according to Governor Bill Lee. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Her defence cited her age at the time of the crime, childhood abuse and later diagnoses of bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder; the victim's mother supports the execution. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Tennessee governor Bill Lee ordered executions in the state suspended at least until the end of the year. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Krista Pike received a double dose of the lethal drug and survived; she was hospitalised in critical condition. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Lee said he was deeply shocked by the error, called it a tragedy and ordered an independent investigation. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Pike was sentenced to death over a 1995 murder and would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Pike's condition remained critical, her lawyer said. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Frank Strada, who heads the Tennessee prison system, will resign, according to Governor Bill Lee. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- What caused the execution to fail, including the role of vein access. Only the defence's claim about “difficulties with vein access” is reported; the independent investigation ordered by the governor had not published findings.
- Which court stayed the execution and on what date. Vedomosti says a US federal court suspended the execution on 30 September hours before it was due, while Kommersant dates the stay to after the 28 September clemency denial and attributes it to a federal court in Tennessee; the two accounts differ.
- Pike's current medical state beyond the lawyers' description. The governor said on 2 October he had no updated information on her condition, and no medical details were released.
- The reason for Frank Strada's resignation and whether he was asked to leave. The documents report that he will resign and that the governor announced it, but give no reason.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Governor Bill Lee rejects Krista Pike's clemency petition, Kommersant reports. [ 1 ]
- A federal court suspends the execution hours before it is due; the US Supreme Court overturns the decision hours later, Vedomosti reports. [ 3 ]
- Pike survives a double dose of the lethal drug and is taken to hospital in critical condition. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Kommersant reports that Lee has halted all executions in Tennessee at least until the end of the year and ordered an independent investigation. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reports that Pike's lawyers told The Tennessean her condition is critical. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti publishes a detailed account, including lawyers saying Pike was alive and snoring loudly after the injection attempt. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reports that the head of Tennessee's prisons will resign. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant reports, citing Associated Press, that Governor Lee announced the resignation of Frank Strada. [ 5 ]
- TASS reports that lawyer Stephen Farella says Pike's condition remains critical. [ 6 ]